Matriarchal Herd

The obvious attraction for me in painting this was the great dynamics experienced when you see a large herd together, especially when they are coming down to drink. The big sky adds the drama – the beginning of the rainy season coming in. It’s that unique smell when the first rain is in the air and the animals sense it and are excited. This particular matriarch is almost threatened by the fact that we are here also. She is looking at us and telling us to buzz off because they want to get down to the water. It is the whole movement of calves, juveniles and adult elephants together, the sense of impatience and the dust. That’s why it’s a big painting, it needed to be, to indicate the presence of these animals.